An apparatus for producing plastic containers is provided, comprising a heating device that heats plastic preforms, and including a shaping device provided downstream of this heating device in the transport direction of the plastic preforms, which shaping device shapes the plastic preforms into the plastic containers, wherein a tempering device for tempering the plastic preforms heated by the heating device is provided in the transport direction of the plastic preforms between the heating device and the shaping device, which tempering device has at least one tempering unit provided on a carrier rotatable about a predetermined rotary axis, and which tempering unit has at least two contacting devices, between which at least one section of the plastic preform can be received, which contacting devices can be moved in relation to one another along a predetermined direction.